Republican Kentucky state senator Damon Thayer said he will push for Kentucky to adopt the ban on race-day medications that have been proposed by the Association of Racing Commissioners International.
In a statement, Thayer said he plans to recommend to the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council that it “make recommendations to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission that we take action as soon as possible” in response to the RCI initiative. Thayer is the legislature’s representative member of the EDRC, which advises the KHRC on medication matters. The EDRC is scheduled to meet Wednesday, May 25, in Lexington.
“In the recent past, the EDRC and KHRC have shown leadership on medication issues like the elimination of NSAIDs and steroids on race day,” Thayer said. “We need to continue that leadership role not only for safety and integrity reasons, but also to improve public perception issues that continue to have a negative effect on horse racing in Kentucky and throughout the country.”
Thayer said he would also like to see other states follow Kentucky’s lead in joining the national Horse Racing Compact “so that racing commissions in member states can begin working collaboratively on the medication reforms that are best handled at the state level.”
The Kentucky General Assembly earlier this year approved legislation that permitted the state to join the Compact. The overall purpose of the compact is to make it easier for the horse racing industry to adopt regulations of interest to all jurisdictions. Each jurisdiction would retain the right not to adopt various rules, however.
Damon Thayer
Anne M. Eberhardt